taliahsbookshelf's Reviews (215)

 An absolutely shock-the-conscience thriller that left me reeling at the end of it, I can't recommend this book enough. The narrators in this book were delightfully unreliable, and as a reader, you never know who, or what, to trust. The atmosphere was perfect - spooky and creepy in all the right ways. Nothing is as it seems and you can't believe what you read. 

Trust me when I say you'll want to read the last half of the book in one sitting; you won't be able to put it down. As someone who doesn't typically go for a thriller as my genre of choice, this book was the perfect deviation from the norm. 

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I'm not usually a fan of romances, especially generic contemporary romances. My typical go-to genres are sci-fi and fantasy. But Red, White & Royal Blue took me by surprise.

A coming-of-age story written with an adult reader backdrop, this book felt like something new. It felt written for me and the other queer people like me who feel like wrestling with their identity partially hinges on how other people see them.

Additionally: CLAREMONT FOR PRESIDENT!! The last quarter of the book, I was on the edge of my seat, completely invested in the election and the drama surrounding it.

I found myself cheering at 4 in the morning when I finished and there was to be a second term for President Claremont.

I'll say what I usually do - was this the best book I've ever read? No, but it didn't have to be.

That all being said, I do have some things I didn't like, starting with the politics. I found the British-American relations to be a bit dry, and it felt under-researched for 90% of the book. I get that the relationship between Alex and Henry had to have some tension to it beyond just the standard homophobia prevalent in our society, but I didn't find that part of the story to be intriguing, just sort of annoying.

I also am not the biggest fan of McQuiston's writing. This isn't a "I think Casey McQuiston is a bad writer," but rather a "I'm not the biggest fan of their writing." I truly do think that this writing is the perfect style for some people, but like I had mentioned earlier, I tend to gravitate more to sci-fi and fantasy, and I think the writing styles play a large part in that. Contemporary romances just aren't my cup of tea, but this book serves its purpose as a light, fluffy read that I will probably come back to when I need the warm and fuzzies surrounding a relationship I can get behind.

All in all, this was a good book. Will I reread it? Probably sometime down the line. Do I recommend it? Yeah! I think most people will probably find themselves invested, but I don't think it's for everyone. There were times I wanted to put it down, but I'm glad I pushed through and made it to the end, and I think most other readers would probably agree.

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Coming back to the world of the Hunger Games, this time many years before Katniss and Peeta shook the very foundation of Panem, A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows the tenth annual Hunger Games. Who is the main focus, you might ask? None other than future President Coriolanus Snow. 

This book contains the twists and dark reality that Suzanne Collins has perfected in her works. It shines a light on the darkness within us all, but it also points out that there is still good in people. There is still hope, there is still light, and there is still honor. 

One thing I always find myself drawn to in a Collins book is rooting for the wrong character, even if I know I shouldn't. In this book, even though you know the atrocities that Coriolanus commits in his future, it's difficult to not want him to succeed. It's difficult to recognize the darkness in him as a young child, even though the signs are all there. I don't want to root for Snow, but I found myself doing it over and over again. 

While this book is certainly separate from the original trilogy, there are certain aspects that are so clearly connected to why Snow behaved the way he did with Katniss later in his life. It's clear that Lucy Gray and Katniss are one in the same, and may even be related, though many years separate the two. This is found in no better place than this: 

It's certainly a curiosity when you have that, along with the origins of some of the most powerful ideas and songs of the original trilogy and how those connect to the future leader of perhaps one of the darkest countries in the world.
 
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Note: I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley prior to publication in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing that stood up and really made itself apparent when I started reading this book was the writing style. It hooked me in immediately. Lindsay Merbaum fashioned a story with words designed to make you feel something. I'll be honest, those feelings aren't always great. But in hindsight, I think that was the point. Merbaum constructed the stories in this book in a way that forces you to try to reconcile them, and I'm excited to see anything else that Merbaum writes.

When I was reading the summary for this book, three things became instantly noticeable: queer, feminist, horror. All together. In one, nice package right here in front of me. This really did read like a queer, feminist, horror book. The plot was engaging and fast-paced. The discomfort of all the characters is apparent, but there were a few flaws with this.

I will admit, I did not understand everything about the book. Split into three sections, with two narrators (Clytemnestra - she/her - and Jaime - they/them), there was a certain disconnect that didn't make a lot of sense to me. While the summary makes it seem like Jaime and Cly are in some way connected, it doesn't read like that. Maybe I missed something, but it felt like two incredibly separate narratives that only were related by the fact that they were queer and set in a hotel (though two different hotels). However, both stories are compelling. Both are linked in that our two main characters go through grief, have to reconcile with family and trauma, and learn what, and who, they really are. Different faces are shown to different people as both grapple with the differences in what others can see.

My biggest problem with the book was simply the structure. The plots themselves were intriguing and kept me interested, but I didn't much enjoy the almost lurching feeling of going from Clytemnestra and her lover, Edith, to a completely new narrative found with Jaime. The ending to each of their stories left a lot of questions, and didn't feel resolved. I'm okay with a book that has both of those, but I feel like the ending was the weakest part of the book. That being said, though, I'm not usually a fan of thrillers or horror books, so maybe that was just my reading experience. A reader who enjoys those types of endings may find more out of it than I did.

Overall, I do think anyone interested in the premise will at the bare minimum enjoy the experience of reading it. I don't usually go for a thriller or a horror book, but I was still drawn in and deeply engaged with the characters. I may not have fully understood it, but I did understand my own feelings reading the book. I encourage you all to give it a shot.